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:U.S. citizen attempts to seek [http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/inman/part09.htm extraordinary protections] of Congress were stymied; U.S. [[trade]] relations were damaged; U.S. Citizen was forced to seek protection from the trade partners targeted by the espionage project. Aggressions increased per U.S. citizen's pursuit of investigations and protections; the Citizen was put on a subversive list. Loss of U.S. Citizen's rights to due process were made possible by the 2007 [[Protect America Act]] [http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/docs/text-of-paa.pdf Section 105B(l)]. This '"Liability Protection" clause rendered ''all felonies committed in this case to be immunized, even by persons of non-official status''; directive issued in this case had a ten year lifespan which per Section 404 and 405 "Transition Procedures" of the [[FISA Amendments Act of 2008]], remains in-force (i.e. did not "sunset" in August 2008 with the repealed [[Protect America Act]]). These attacks originated on [[Wikipedia]], under the aegis of a [[CIA]] officer well known for abuse, initials S.V. Various U.S. firms, U.S. Federal and Military bodies were 'stakeholders' in the ''"compulsory economic espionage" project''; all was reported to Swiss, and other-country authorities, as an act of U.S. Citizen [[self-defense]]. The case is at present an open [[espionage]] investigation at the Swiss Federal Attorney General office.
:U.S. citizen attempts to seek [http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/inman/part09.htm extraordinary protections] of Congress were stymied; U.S. [[trade]] relations were damaged; U.S. Citizen was forced to seek protection from the trade partners targeted by the espionage project. Aggressions increased per U.S. citizen's pursuit of investigations and protections; the Citizen was put on a subversive list. Loss of U.S. Citizen's rights to due process were made possible by the 2007 [[Protect America Act]] [http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/docs/text-of-paa.pdf Section 105B(l)]. This '"Liability Protection" clause rendered ''all felonies committed in this case to be immunized, even by persons of non-official status''; directive issued in this case had a ten year lifespan which per Section 404 and 405 "Transition Procedures" of the [[FISA Amendments Act of 2008]], remains in-force (i.e. did not "sunset" in August 2008 with the repealed [[Protect America Act]]). These attacks originated on [[Wikipedia]], under the aegis of a [[CIA]] officer well known for abuse, initials S.V. Various U.S. firms, U.S. Federal and Military bodies were 'stakeholders' in the ''"compulsory economic espionage" project''; all was reported to Swiss, and other-country authorities, as an act of U.S. Citizen [[self-defense]]. The case is at present an open [[espionage]] investigation at the Swiss Federal Attorney General office.


:It was later discovered that the CIA Officer was working undercover as a [http://www.ustr.gov U.S. trade official] a post half-housed in the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]]; this being one of the several covers used at the time. Her prior role working undercover as [[United States Senate]] Democratic Trade Counsel from offices of Senator [[Bill Bradley]] Senator [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]], and later as [[Senate Finance Committee]] Counsel; this gave the CIA Officer unusual [[leverage]] to quell the U.S. Citizen's attempts for Congressional protections, investigations and normal treatment under U.S. law; ''Treasury-directed financial aggressions against U.S. citizen's elderly parents in California were made by CIA Officer'';, CIA Officer was part of the U.S. Treasury Intelligence [[CFIUS]] team. The CIA Officer, attack-driver, is a Canadian national by birth, presumably naturalized in the United States. It is understood that this case caused [political scandal | embarrassment to the United States government], in the context of [[trade]] relations. The CIA has been active in U.S. [[trade]] affairs since 1993, per [http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd35.htm Presidential Directive 35].
:It was later discovered that the CIA Officer was working undercover as a [http://www.ustr.gov U.S. trade official] a post half-housed in the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]]; this being one of the several covers used at the time. Her prior role working undercover as [[United States Senate]] Democratic Trade Counsel from offices of Senator [[Bill Bradley]] Senator [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]], and later as [[Senate Finance Committee]] Counsel; this gave the CIA Officer unusual [[leverage]] to quell the U.S. Citizen's attempts for Congressional protections, investigations and normal treatment under U.S. law; ''Treasury-directed financial aggressions against U.S. citizen's elderly parents in California were made by CIA Officer'';, CIA Officer was part of the U.S. Treasury Intelligence [[CFIUS]] team. The CIA Officer, attack-driver, is a Canadian national by birth, presumably naturalized in the United States. It is understood that this case caused [political scandal | embarrassment to the United States government], in the context of [[trade]] relations. The CIA has been active in U.S. [[trade]] affairs since 1993, per [http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd35.htm Presidential Directive 35]. Their entry to GATT/WTO trade affairs was followed by an immediate set of spy scandals on U.S. trade partners. [http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/1995/05/dreyfuss.html 1][http://mediafilter.org/CAQ/CAQ55EconIntel.html 2][http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00EFDC1039F936A25753C1A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all 3]
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:Myriad expert opinions expressing concerns that '''economics is ''NOT'' a CIA forte'''[http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-185.html 1][http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_/ai_13266585 2] have been resolutely ignored by the prior two Presidential administrations; some of these opinions have been expressed by senior U.S. trade, as well as former CIA officials. U.S. economists have noted that '''espionage is inappropriate to trade negotiation work''' citing high-risk factor of trade-related espionage bringing damage to U.S. trade relations emphasizing the [[Pareto efficiency]]-nature of trade negotiations. In this case, the[[US Citizen is currently seeking formal political and diplomatic protections]] as result of attacks evidently engendered as a result of economic assistance work such being considered to promote the economic-conservative free trade agenda.
:Myriad expert opinions expressing concerns that '''economics is ''NOT'' a CIA forte'''[http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-185.html 4][http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_/ai_13266585 5] have been resolutely ignored by the prior two Presidential administrations; some of these opinions have been expressed by senior U.S. trade, as well as former CIA officials. U.S. economists have noted that '''espionage is inappropriate to trade negotiation work''' citing high-risk factor of trade-related espionage bringing damage to U.S. trade relations emphasizing the [[Pareto efficiency]]-nature of trade negotiations. In this case, the[[US Citizen is currently seeking formal political and diplomatic protections]] as result of attacks evidently engendered as a result of economic assistance work such being considered to promote the economic-conservative free trade agenda.


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 04:01, 7 January 2009

Humanitarian aid workers belonging to UN organisations, PVOs / NGOs or the Red Cross / Red Crescent have traditionally enjoyed both international legal protection, and de facto immunity from attack by belligerent parties. However, attacks on humanitarian workers have occasionally occurred, and became more frequent in the 1990s and 2000s. This is attributed to a number of factors, including the increasing number of humanitarian workers deployed, the increasingly unstable environments in which they work, and the erosion of the perception of neutrality and independence. ICRC promotes a framework for Neutral Independent Humanitarian Action (NIHA) to enable differentiated role understanding.

The legal basis for protection of humanitarian workers in conflicts is contained in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the related Protocol of 1977. These treaties describe the category of civilian non-combatant and outline the rights and obligations of non-combatants during conflict. These rights include the right to be treated humanely; to have access to food, water, shelter, medical treatment, and communications; to be free from violence to life and person, hostage taking, and humiliating or degrading treatment; and the prohibition against collective punishment or imprisonment. Civilian non-combatants include local citizens and nationals of countries that are not party to the conflict.

While the Geneva Conventions guarantee protection for humanitarian workers, they do not guarantee access of humanitarian workers to affected areas: governments or occupying forces may, if they wish, ban a relief agency from working in their area. Médecins Sans Frontières was created in 1971 with the express purpose of ignoring this restriction, by providing assistance to populations affected by the Biafran civil war despite the prohibitions of the government of Nigeria.

In addition, the Geneva Conventions do not require that parties to the conflict guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers. The Conventions prohibit combatants from attacking non-combatants, and they require occupying forces to maintain general order. However, the Conventions do not require that combating parties provide security escorts, for example, when other factions threaten the safety of non-combatants operating in their area.

  • Wars between states became much less common in the period following the end of the Cold War. Unfortunately, these wars have been largely replaced by an increased incidence of internal conflict and resulting violence and miscommunication, increasing the risk to civilians and humanitarian workers alike.
  • Between 1985 and 1998 slightly less than 50% of all humanitarian worker deaths came from workers in UN programs. 25% of these deaths were UN peacekeepers.
  • Most deaths of aid workers are due to deliberate violence.
  • One third of deaths occur in the first three months of deployment, with 17% occurring within the first 30 days.

Source: Sheik, Gutierrez, et al, British Medical Journal 2000;321:166–8

Countries with the highest number of aid workers killed (1997-2003)

[citation needed]

  1. Angola: 58 (mostly as a result of anti-aircraft attacks on two UN planes by UNITA in 1998 and 1999 and by landmines)
  2. Afghanistan: 36
  3. Iraq: 32
  4. Sudan: 29
  5. Democratic Republic of the Congo: 18
  6. Rwanda: 17
  7. Somalia: 16
  8. Burundi: 11
  9. Palestinian Authority: 7
  10. Uganda: 7
  11. Serbia and Montenegro (Kosovo): 5
  12. Liberia: 5

List of recent attacks on humanitarian workers

[citation needed]

1993

  • Bosnia - July 5, 1993 - Scottish aid worker Christine Witcutt shot by a sniper in Sarajevo.
  • Bosnia - October 25, 1993 - Danish aid worker Bjarne Vium Nielsen Danish killed in attack on humanitarian aid convoy.

1996

  • Burundi - June 4, 1996 - Three ICRC delegates were killed in an attack on two vehicles on the road between the villages of Rugombo and Mugina in the northern province of Cibitoke, resulting in a withdrawal of ICRC from Burundi.
  • Novye Atagi, Chechnya - December 17, 1996 - Six ICRC workers are killed in an attack onto the local hospital. As a result ICRC withdraws all expatriate staff from Chechnya.
  • Guatemala, 1996 - One Costa Rican Salvation Army officer is attacked by demobilized guerrilla members while transporting a senior citizen with a broken leg to the hospital. The vehicle was taken.

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

  • Darfur, Sudan - October 10, 2004 - A Save the Children vehicle was hit by an anti-tank landmine in the Um Barro area of North Darfur, Sudan. Two members of staff travelling in the vehicle were killed, Rafe Bullick (British, Programme Manager, North Darfur) and Nourredine Issa Tayeb (Sudanese, Water Engineer).

2005

2006

2007

  • Central African Republic - July - An MSF volunteer logistician was killed by gunfire while trying to assess the need for humanitarian aid in the country.
  • Burundi - On Saturday June 23 2007 Burundi security forces shot dead Vladimir Rushtiko, a Russian diplomat after he drove through a checkpoint
  • Burundi - On Monday, December 31 2007, at 6:30 pm, an Action Against Hunger vehicle was targeted by shooters in the city of Ruygi in the East of Burundi. Five people, including three female expatriate staff of Action Against Hunger, were inside the targeted vehicle. One of them, a French psychologist of Action Against Hunger, died upon arrival at the hospital in Gitega as a results of her injuries. The second victim suffered a gunshot wound and underwent surgery in Gitega. The third Action Against Hunger expatriate escaped uninjured from the shooting.
  • Switzerland and United States - U.S. Attempted Compulsory Economic Espionage Against fmr UN Official In April 2007, a Senior CIA Officer, launched a series of attacks against a former United Nations official, U.S. Citizen, head of a trade capacity building Swiss non-profit organization. Trade capacity building is an economic-related form of humanitarian work, The U.S. Citizen was working to help improve trade negotiation capacity among poor country WTO Members to facilitate negotiations. This work was pan-country beneficial, including U.S.-economy beneficial; the agency was linked to the UN, OECD, and other international organizations, functioning - per founding statutes - as an "non-governmental organization acting in the capacity of an international organization," as does theInternational Red Cross or IATA The CIA Officer presumed - erroneously, and in ignorance - that the organization run by the U.S. Citizen was a threat to U.S. interests and invoked U.S. official resources in two years of attacks. The attacks coalesced into coercion to espionage; targeting of U.S. citizens abroad is a longtime modality of U.S. intelligence1, 2this being noted in Book III of the 1978 Church Committee Report; this was re-verified by Attorney General Bell during pre-FISA testimony.

2008

Attacks commenced online, escalating, vis-a-vis the cadre of undercover military and intelligence surveillance staff on a well-known online encyclopedia, to cyber-aggression notably the use of aggressive ISR Roving surveillance tools and other military tools of war; "well-known encyclopedia" was used to recruit ancillary cyber-aggression support. U.S. Citizen reported U.S. manifestations of these attacks, already a case in Switzerland, and was responded to by delivery of a compulsory-servitude economic espionage contract, delivered by an FBI[ agent, purpose to force the U.S. citizen to commit life-risking espionage. Compliance with this contract would have seen the U.S. Citizen imprisoned or killed as penalty. U.S. intelligence has diplomatic immunity for espionage; private citizens do not. The case spiraled out of control; Citizen's home burglarized, Citizen was followed by U.S. agents, Citizen's lawyer hired to rescind illegal contract was double-hired by U.S. agents (this is pro forma under the Protect America Act, Section 105B(h). Total cost of "ridiculous espionage-attack project to U.S. Government exceeded eight million dollars.
U.S. citizen attempts to seek extraordinary protections of Congress were stymied; U.S. trade relations were damaged; U.S. Citizen was forced to seek protection from the trade partners targeted by the espionage project. Aggressions increased per U.S. citizen's pursuit of investigations and protections; the Citizen was put on a subversive list. Loss of U.S. Citizen's rights to due process were made possible by the 2007 Protect America Act Section 105B(l). This '"Liability Protection" clause rendered all felonies committed in this case to be immunized, even by persons of non-official status; directive issued in this case had a ten year lifespan which per Section 404 and 405 "Transition Procedures" of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, remains in-force (i.e. did not "sunset" in August 2008 with the repealed Protect America Act). These attacks originated on Wikipedia, under the aegis of a CIA officer well known for abuse, initials S.V. Various U.S. firms, U.S. Federal and Military bodies were 'stakeholders' in the "compulsory economic espionage" project; all was reported to Swiss, and other-country authorities, as an act of U.S. Citizen self-defense. The case is at present an open espionage investigation at the Swiss Federal Attorney General office.
It was later discovered that the CIA Officer was working undercover as a U.S. trade official a post half-housed in the Executive Office of the President of the United States; this being one of the several covers used at the time. Her prior role working undercover as United States Senate Democratic Trade Counsel from offices of Senator Bill Bradley Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and later as Senate Finance Committee Counsel; this gave the CIA Officer unusual leverage to quell the U.S. Citizen's attempts for Congressional protections, investigations and normal treatment under U.S. law; Treasury-directed financial aggressions against U.S. citizen's elderly parents in California were made by CIA Officer;, CIA Officer was part of the U.S. Treasury Intelligence CFIUS team. The CIA Officer, attack-driver, is a Canadian national by birth, presumably naturalized in the United States. It is understood that this case caused [political scandal | embarrassment to the United States government], in the context of trade relations. The CIA has been active in U.S. trade affairs since 1993, per Presidential Directive 35. Their entry to GATT/WTO trade affairs was followed by an immediate set of spy scandals on U.S. trade partners. 123
Myriad expert opinions expressing concerns that economics is NOT a CIA forte45 have been resolutely ignored by the prior two Presidential administrations; some of these opinions have been expressed by senior U.S. trade, as well as former CIA officials. U.S. economists have noted that espionage is inappropriate to trade negotiation work citing high-risk factor of trade-related espionage bringing damage to U.S. trade relations emphasizing the Pareto efficiency-nature of trade negotiations. In this case, theUS Citizen is currently seeking formal political and diplomatic protections as result of attacks evidently engendered as a result of economic assistance work such being considered to promote the economic-conservative free trade agenda.

See also

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